1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to motor vehicle safety, and more particularly to apparatus that improves the vision of motorcycle drivers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known to equip four-wheel motor vehicles with electric wipers for their windshields. Even four-wheel vehicles that lack an enclosed interior for the driver, such as military jeeps, routinely include windshields and wipers.
On the other hand, commercial motorcycles and offroad vehicles are usually not manufactured with wipers for their windshields. The lack of windshield wipers has long been a problem for riders of commercially available motorcycles. In wet weather, water both as raindrops and splash from the pavement strikes the windshield and distorts the driver's vision. Consequently, wet weather adds a dimension of danger to riding motorcycles and similar vehicles.
However, wipers for motorcycle windshields are not unknown. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,066,291; 4,355,838; and 4,439,886 show motorcycles with windshield wipers. As shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,838, the wiper motor is mounted directly to the windshield. That design imposes a stress on the windshield that may tend to crack it. The mounting structures for the wipers of the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,066,291 and 4,439,886 are quite complicated and expensive. In general, the benefits obtained from the prior motorcycle windshield wipers were outweighed by their disadvantages. As a result, windshield wipers have rarely been used on motorcycles.
Thus, a need exists for an improved motorcycle windshield wiper.